


arms

by Amikotsu



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Awkward Sexual Situations, Free day, Friends to Lovers, Hanahaki Disease, KakaObi Week 2020, Language of Flowers, Love Confessions, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Secret Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2020-02-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:40:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22871890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amikotsu/pseuds/Amikotsu
Summary: Obito likes his life. He has a best friend in Kakashi and he's nailed a date with a good-looking Inuzuka. Why does he care if Kakashi has been seeing Anko? He doesn't. Good for Kakashi. The first time he coughs up flowers, the petals speak of jealousy.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Uchiha Obito, Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Obito/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 174
Collections: KakaObi Week 2020





	1. Yellow Hyacinth

Obito stood outside of the teahouse, one hand in his pocket and the other toying with the zipper on his jonin vest. He'd had a date with some paper chunin from accounting, but the guy was running late, and he couldn't help but think it was karma for his own struggles with punctuality. The guy was cute, very cute, but Obito felt stupid just standing around. The greeter at the teahouse asked him three times if he wanted to get a table, but Obito had refused, simply saying that he wasn't going to take up a table if the guy couldn't bother to show up. Beneath the irritation, he was embarrassed. In his nineteen years, he'd never been stood up before. His dates had always waited for him, and none of them minded when he gave actual excuses -- he'd gotten better by using simple, everyday excuses. As he checked the street for the hundredth time, he felt insecure, and he hated it. He should have gone out with his team for drinks, but no; he'd decided to agree to a date with a cute guy with no sense of time management and a problem with arrogance. Obito knew he could be arrogant enough for the entire village, at times, but the guy had smirked just so and he'd thought with his dick. His bad.

The greeted poked her head out to ask him again if he wanted a table, so he gritted his teeth, turned, and walked away. He didn't make it far because his date, jogging down the street, called out for him to stop. The Inuzuka had dressed down with a tan top, a wide belt, and a pair of pants that stopped at his calves. He had a dog running after him, the canine startling people as it barreled through the crowd. Obito took one look at the two and took a calming breath. The man had shown up almost an hour late and brought his ninken along. Obito wasn't getting laid.

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting. There were a few high-profile mission payments to process and I'm the only one in the office who isn't a complete dumbass," Ikki said, offering Obito an apologetic smile. "Kamon, this is Obito. Obito, this awesome ninken is Kamon."

Obito looked down at the canine and arched a brow. The dog had a noticeable limp, which indicated that Ikki hadn't always been a paper chunin. Kamon took one look at him and snorted. Obito sputtered, ready to scold the ninken for being so rude, but Ikki flicked one of Kamon's ears.

"He's acceptable. Let's go inside. I'm starving," Kamon said, surprising Obito. The ninken turned toward the teahouse and went inside, a few screams echoing from within the establishment at the sudden introduction of a massive tan dog.

"You brought your ninken on our date," Obito said, voice bland. Ikki smirked at him and he scoffed. "What made you think that was a good idea?"

"Hey, he goes where I go. If that's a problem," Ikki began, reaching out to slap Obito's behind, "then we're gone. Choice is yours, beautiful."

Obito actually squeaked when he felt the hand swat his behind, and his brow twitched to show his rising temper. Ikki smirked at him again and motioned for Obito to lead the way into the teahouse. After some hesitation, Obito muttered about dogs taking over his life and entered into the small teahouse. Kamon had gotten them a table near the back of the establishment and had a menu in his mouth, which he quickly handed off to Ikki. Obito wrinkled his nose at the drool on the covered paper, but he still took a seat at the table. Since Ikki had asked him out, Obito assumed the man would cover the check, so he took a while browsing the menu.

"What'll it be, sweetheart?"

"Just because you say nice things to me doesn't mean I'm going to swoon over you."

Obito made a show of holding up his menu to block Ikki's face. Kamon laughed at the two. When their server arrived, Obito opened his mouth to order the tea, but Ikki cut him off by ordering hibiscus, dorayaki, and kuzumochi. Kamon ordered himself onigiri. Obito wasn't used to someone ordering for him, so he stared at Ikki for a moment, trying to decide if something so small was a true dealbreaker. When he went out, he usually went out with people from his academy days or people from his ANBU team. He ordered for himself, each and every time, because he was a grown man. Ikki ordering for him made him feel like less of an adult, which made no sense, since Ikki was a year younger than him.

"You look good today," Ikki said, leaning forward to brush his hand against Obito's cheek. Kamon, clearly expectant, looked at Obito.

"I look good every day," Obito quipped, deciding to lean into the touch. Kamon nodded, clearly pleased with the response, then went back to staring at food on other tables. "So why did you decide to ask me out?"

"A little birdy told me you were single and I think you're funny. You're pretty damn hot too. It's hard to resist taking you right here, right now," Ikki admitted, eyeing Obito. Obito panicked and had to clear his throat several times. "You're fun to tease too."

"You don't say that shit in public!"

"Why not? Your best friend reads porn in public."

"That's different!"

"Mm. So cute." Ikki smiled at him and Obito huffed. 

"Be lucky there isn't hot tea between us right now, because I feel like you deserve it dumped on your crotch." Obito crossed his arms over his chest and looked away, leaving Kamon to snicker at the two. When Obito looked back, Ikki was actually pouting. "Don't try to look innocent."

"So I find you attractive and have no issue talking about it. Don't you find me attractive? Why did you agree to go on this date with me, hm?" 

The tea arrived and Ikki served them both a cup. When the food arrived, Obito chose to stuff his face rather than answer the question, since he'd agreed based on Ikki's good looks. Obito had a thing for the rugged, wild, independent way that the Inuzuka clan had, so of course he'd agreed. He would have preferred a date without the ninken, as he constantly put up with Kakashi's dogs. He was a cat person. No one could blame him, since his summons were cats. 

"I think you're good looking, and I thought this date would lead somewhere."

"Where did you think it would lead, beautiful?"

"Well, nowhere now. I'm not having sex with your damn dog in the room."

"I've seen it before. I'll be surprised if I'm impressed," Kamon said, inserting himself into the conversation. Ikki burst into laughter and slapped his palm down on the table, rattling the cups.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one with that in mind," Ikki grinned, shoving a bite of food into his mouth. Obito responded by eating.

They didn't have much to discuss, not that it was a surprise. There were only so many ways to discuss accounting and Obito couldn't discuss any of his missions with ANBU, so Obito talked about his friends and made vague statements about his genin team, leaving the names Rin, Kushina, and Minato from the stories. Kamon proved to be amusing after he started talking about Ikki's genin days, when the kid passed out the first time he saw blood. Ikki, embarrassed, changed the subject back to Obito, so Obito told more stories. It wasn't a terrible date, and they stayed at the teahouse until it closed at nine o'clock. 

Outside, Ikki waited on some cue from Obito, so Obito jerked his head in the direction of his apartment. He'd asked his roommate to disappear for the night and didn't give a damn what making that happen entailed. Halfway there, Ikki decided it was a good idea to have a conversation.

"So you do this often?"

"Take men home on the first date? It depends. In total, I've done it once. This makes twice," Obito shrugged, slowing down so they walked side by side. Ikki nodded, as if it was acceptable. "How often do you do this?"

"Take home sexy men? I'd like to say as often as possible, but maybe three times. There isn't much to talk about on my end. I'm an accountant now. I'm not fit to be in the field," Ikki said, pausing to knock on his own head. Obito frowned, but he decided not to ask. Not many shinobi retired due to mental health issues. The village believed that shinobi were fit or unfit based on physical exams. "It's not pretty."

"I don't have much to talk about either. I'm a boring guy," Obito lied, offering Ikki a smile. "This is me."

Obito stopped outside of a two-story building. The exterior was a bright blue, like a clear sky, and lights were on inside of the building. Obito climbed the two steps and opened the door for Ikki. The two entered into the warm interior and Kamon suddenly found a nice spot to lie down. Ikki slipped the dog a quick thumbs up when he thought Obito wasn't looking. Obito lived on the second floor. There were only two apartments in the building and a downstairs laundry room. The place was nice and the price was nice, but Obito still chose to split the costs with Kakashi. Following Obito's return to Konoha, the two had lived apart for about six months before Obito hauled Kakashi out of his depressing apartment and into the one they had together. They didn't talk about the six months they were apart -- Obito didn't want to know what else Kakashi did to himself while in that broken mental state.

Obito unlocked the door to his apartment and flipped on the hall light. Kakashi's sandals were missing, so Obito grinned to himself. The man had listened. The two removed their sandals and Ikki walked in to examine the apartment. The floorplan was open. They entered into a short hallway that led to the main living space. The room had a kitchen to the left and to the right, beyond the living room, there was another short hall and three doors, two bedrooms and one bathroom. Ikki opened his mouth to comment on the apartment, but Obito blindsided him with a kiss. Ikki recovered fast and the two began a heated exchange of kisses that led to hurried undressing. Obito mumbled some words into one of their kisses and disappeared into his room, only to reappear with lube, which he wagged at Ikki.

"Prepared. Smart and beautiful," Ikki said, dragging Obito down onto his lap. 

Their kisses were still rough and quick, both of them reluctant to make the exchange too personal. They didn't know where the sex would lead and neither of them even considered where they would stand come morning, if Obito even let Ikki stay the night. Most of Kakashi's flings appeared and disappeared without ever seeing Obito, except for the time Obito had found lace panties lost in the couch cushions. That had been disgusting. 

Ikki kissed down Obito's neck, so he leaned his head back for the man. The kisses turned to nips and licks, then Ikki forced Obito down onto the couch and peppered kisses onto Obito's thighs, teeth grazing over his skin. Obito bit back a moan, clearly aching for more than teasing.

"Don't hold back," Ikki smiled at him, "moan if you want to moan. This might be all the action your neighbors get."

"Ugh shut up and suck me off already," Obito complained, reaching for Ikki's head to shove the man in the direction of his cock.

"Ah ah, ask nicely."

"Eat shit. I'm not playing this game." Ikki gave Obito's cock one stroke that had Obito throwing his head back into the couch in frustration. "Please will you suck my dick?"

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Ikki trailed kisses down from Obito's stomach until he reached Obito's cock.

Obito gritted his teeth to keep from moaning, but he eventually let one slip, and then it was suddenly a proverbial waterfall of moans. Ikki pulled back before he had a chance to finish, then he felt a finger enter him and he looked at Ikki to find that same sexy smirk in place. As Ikki moved to two fingers, easily thrusting them in and out, they both heard the lock click and Obito stiffened. Ikki didn't stop and he reached the perfect angle that had Obito moaning, cock twitching. Kakashi stood in the doorway, a bag of takeout in one hand and his keys in the other.

"I told you I wanted the apartment tonight!" Obito hurried the words out even as he reached for Ikki's arm to stop the man.

"I can see why. Yo, Ikki," Kakashi said, passing into the kitchen. He placed the bag of takeout down on the counter and looked over the bar dividing the living room from the kitchen.

"S'up, Kakashi?" Ikki nodded to the man and Obito grabbed a pillow to try and shove over himself.

"Get out!" Obito decided to throw the pillow at Kakashi instead and it bounced off the ceramic fruit bowl, breaking it and sending fruit all over the floor. 

Obito stiffened, an uncomfortable feeling starting in his chest. Ikki saw the expression on his face and asked him if he was alright, so he shook his head. He sat up so fast that their heads knocked and Ikki complained about the pain. Obito opened his mouth to apologize but he choked on the words. He turned his head away so he wouldn't cough on Ikki, but he couldn't catch his breath. He felt as if something were lodged in his throat and he couldn't shake the feeling. Ikki rested a hand on his shoulder and he finally coughed up a couple of yellow petals. He stared at the petals as they fell to the hardwood floor. Ikki moved away from him, suddenly unsure. 

"What just happened?" 

Ikki looked from Obito to the flower petals, then back again. Obito didn't know the answer to the question. When he tried to respond, he coughed up more yellow petals. He gagged on the flowers, the petals coming out slightly damp from his saliva. Kakashi entered the room and Obito felt equal parts horrified and embarrassed. They were asking him questions he couldn't answer, until suddenly it was Obito and Kakashi and the slamming of the front door.

"I'm taking you to the hospital," Kakashi said, shoving Obito's clothes at him. Still in shock, he nodded several times and started getting dressed. "Has this happened before?"

"Have I ever scared my partner during sex by coughing up flowers? No. Have I ever been this embarrassed in my life? No." Obito shoved his legs into his boxers and tugged them up. Kakashi had the decency to turn away, but the man had already had a perfect view, so Obito didn't understand why Kakashi bothered. "He ran away. He's such a, such a," Obito stopped and started coughing again, producing more of the pretty petals.

Kakashi shoved a shirt over Obito's head, spun him around, and shoved him toward the front door. Obito tried to stop to put his sandals on, but Kakashi pushed him along, both of them skipping footwear for the sake of speed. In the hallway, Obito stopped and rested a hand on the wall, trying to catch his breath. Kakashi swept him up, ignoring his squawk of protest, and disappeared in a swirl of leaves. The shunshin left Obito sick to his stomach. On the way to the hospital, he coughed up yellow petals and choked on his tears. 

The hospital staff didn't know what to do with him. Kakashi held him, even as he coughed up more petals. Needless to say, the doctor admitted him and shoved him into a hospital bed. While the doctor ran tests, Kakashi waited outside.

"Your chakra network is fine. Your lungs," the doctor stopped and frowned at him, "your lungs don't sound very good. How long have you been coughing up yellow hyacinth?"

"Yellow hyacinth?" Obito hadn't heard about hyacinth before, but he might have seen the flowers in passing. How did the flower petals get into his lungs? He lay there and stared at her. "Um, not long. This is the first time it's happened."

"Just yellow petals?"

"Yeah."

The doctor left him several times to get tests and results, and after she was finished, she allowed Kakashi to enter the room. By that point, it was pushing midnight, and Obito felt bad that Kakashi had waited for him for hours. Kakashi dropped into the bedside chair and stared at Obito. Obito pursed his lips and tried to think of something other than the fact that Kakashi had walked in on Ikki fingering him.

"At least I'm wearing clothes this time?" Obito tried a joke and Kakashi actually huffed a laugh before his face turned serious. "It's ok. I'm in the hospital. You princess carried me across the threshold in my boxers and backwards t-shirt," Obito said, lips twitching for a smile.

"Be lucky I grabbed your clothes at all," Kakashi shrugged, slouching in the chair. "Do they know anything?"

"I think the doctor does. She had this look in her eye. She had samples of the flowers too. They're just flowers," Obito replied, shrugging. Kakashi frowned, and they both knew he'd wanted to hear something else. "I'm fine now. I'm hoping they release me in the morning. You know I hate hospitals."

"So Ikki, huh?" Kakashi looked over at Obito and he groaned, refusing to look at Kakashi. "He's good looking," Kakashi continued, humming in thought, "but I took you for the older man type."

"If you bring up Jiraiya again, I'll murder you in your sleep. I didn't mean to walk in on him!"

"Then why did you stand there?"

"So Anko, huh?" Obito turned the tables on Kakashi. He waited for an explanation but Kakashi simply shrugged. "I'm tired of her stashing her panties in the apartment like she's marking her territory. If I find them again, I'm going to hire a genin team to deliver them to her front door."

"Maa, you just sound jealous now," Kakashi said, an almost drawl. Obito narrowed his eyes and turned his nose up at Kakashi. "She only does it because she knows it pisses you off. What difference does it make? We're both active in our personal lives."

Obito chose not to argue, so he leaned back against his pillows and stared at the door left ajar. He saw nurses hurrying through the white hallways, carrying trays and medical files. Obito could admit to himself that he was a _little_ jealous, but only a little, and hardly worth mentioning. He'd had an opportunity to confess to Kakashi before Kannabi, but he'd blown it and chickened out and the jealousy was what he deserved. Anko wasn't bad. He actually didn't mind her. She and Kakashi had actually been seeing one another for three months, which was the longest relationship Kakashi had ever had, since he preferred to keep things impersonal. At the beginning, Obito had mistakenly thought Kakashi paid for hookers, but he supposed that the crazy women Kakashi brought home were worse than hookers. 

"Why yellow hyacinth? I've never even heard of the flower." Obito thought he posed a good question, and Kakashi thought the same, if the man's thoughtful expression said anything. "I don't think I've inhaled any seeds," Obito frowned, going through his last missions.

"I don't know. Is it the mokuton?"

"Tenzo has never coughed up flowers before." Kakashi yawned and Obito felt bad all over again. He turned onto his side to face Kakashi and watched the man try to get comfortable in the chair. "You can go home and sleep, you know. I'm a big boy. I can handle a night alone."

"I think you proved you were a big boy already."

"I'm already mortified and you say something like that? You're such a pervert. Forget what you saw!"

"I think it's something I'll never forget, unfortunately."

Obito flipped Kakashi off and closed his eyes, deciding that he would rather see the inside of his eyelid than see the expression on Kakashi's face. Yellow hyacinth. What did it mean to cough up yellow hyacinth. Obito was asleep, so he didn't hear Kakashi leave.

_Yellow Hyacinth: Jealousy_


	2. Lavender Roses

Five days later, Obito received a mission in the Land of Snow. He had a green light from his doctor, and he'd passed his physical, so he accepted the mission. Unlike usual, he wasn't team leader. He had been loaned to Team Ro until his own team, Team Issa, gained two new recruits to replace a retiree and a KIA. Kakashi led Team Ro, something that Obito shouldn't have known, but he knew to keep his mouth shut and his head down. In the same breath, Kakashi knew that Obito was ANBU and had his own team, though he didn't know the exact team, as Issa and Ro never worked together. Ro was the main attraction and Issa was more for extraction, infiltration, and espionage. Most members of Team Issa took long missions, but the team had been in a quiet spell. Hayate was a new recruit, Genma had been on the team for some time before becoming a guard, Raido had a brief stint. Everyone knew that ANBU only took the best of the best.

"So it looks like I have a new team member."

"Do you?"

"Mhm. Maybe you know him."

"Nope. I don't think that I do. If I did, I might warn you that he doesn't enjoy being ordered around like a peon."

Kakashi had his head hidden by his locker as he changed into his ANBU gear. Obito was already dressed and ready to go, just like the other members of the team, Tenzo and Itachi. Shisui was on bedrest. Kakashi slammed his locker closed and gave Obito one of his eye smiles that had him rolling his eyes. Before they left the locker room, both men lowered their masks, Kakashi quickly becoming Hound and Obito becoming Tiger. Mongoose and Weasel waited outside of the locker room, and they stood up straight as soon as they saw Kakashi. 

The doctor had advised Obito against using mokuton, since they weren't entirely sure if the hyacinth event had something to do with the mokuton or not. The mission didn't seem complicated, so Obito didn't think he'd have a problem not relying on mokuton. Of course, once they reached the Land of Snow, all hell broke loose. The leader of Yukigakure was slain before they had a chance to extract his daughter, Koyuki, which left Team Ro with no other choice than to defeat the one responsible for the assassination, except Kakashi was by the books and disagreed with Obito, which led to them hiding out in a mountside cave created by earth jutsu.

"Our mission is to extract Koyuki, not liberate a country."

"Our mission aligns with liberating the country."

"This isn't your team, _Tiger_."

"Well I disagree with your analysis of the situation, _Hound_."

"Uh, senpai?" Tenzo tugged on Kakashi's sleeve, trying to get the man's attention, but Kakashi ignored him. "Senpai," Tenzo tried again, only to get the same result.

"If you have a problem with my leadership, then go back to the village," Kakashi continued, clearly done with Obito's argument. Suddenly, Itachi started tugging on Kakashi's sleeve. "What is it, Weasel?"

"They found us and they're outside," Itachi calmly informed him.

"We're not done with this discussion," Obito huffed, marching right past Kakashi. Kakashi followed him, hot on his heels, only to watch Obito completely destroy two enemies by punching one into a second person, causing them both to explode. "What are they wearing? I didn't hit him that hard," Obito mumbled, looking down at his gloved fist.

"It looks like chakra armor," Itachi said, seeming unbothered by the fact.

"I thought that was a myth," Tenzo responded.

"Looks like there was some foundation on truth. Let's finish them off. Remember our mission. We weren't hired to save this country," Kakashi said, engaging an enemy. 

In the end, Obito chose not to resume the argument. He knew in his heart that the country needed saviors, but Koyuki was still the priority. Who knew when someone would stand up to the one responsible for the ruler's death, but Kakashi was right, even though he hated admitting it to himself. The problem with their mission was that Koyuki was nowhere to be found. They fought their way to the castle and there was no trace of her, no trace of anyone, anyone living. The team separated to check the rooms.

"They're all dead," Obito whispered, nudging a corpse with his boot. Kakashi bent down to check pulses, but shook his head. "She's gone. They're gone."

"The one paying for the mission is deceased. We'll only receive partial payment," Kakashi shared, sighing. He looked for any signs of a struggle but he didn't find any. "They were likely poisoned. There are wire marks on them," Kakashi said, looking up at Obito.

"You want to regroup and retreat," Obito stated, not even bothering to phrase it in the form of a question. "Hell, am I going to convince you to keep searching? She's a young girl."

"We'll search larger villages and the whole of Yukigakure. She is a young girl, but there's only so much we can do. I'm not endangering my team to fight a war that isn't ours," Kakashi said, standing up from where he was bent down. Obito frowned behind his mask, but he didn't voice his disagreement. "I value the lives of my comrades."

"Don't say it like I don't. Lead the way, oh mighty leader," Obito said, motioning with his hand to the open door of the room.

They regrouped downstairs, right in front of the door. Both Itachi and Tenzo had found the same corpses with the same marks. Their mission, a total wreck up to that point, became a desperate search-and-rescue. In the shopping district of Yukigakure, they finally called off their search. A major snowstorm started in the area with heavy snowfall expected, so Kakashi reluctantly agreed to get a room and settle down until the weather cleared. Disguised as a family, Obito and Itachi and Tenzo the wife and two kids, respectively, which they all hated. Itachi and Tenzo had the decency to keep their mouths shut, but Obito played a grumpy wife the entire time, until Kakashi finally knocked him out and pretended that he fell asleep.

Obito woke up forty minutes later and glared at Kakashi from behind his mask. Kakashi had closed the heavy curtains and lined the room in seals, so eventually, the masks came off. Tenzo and Itachi camped out on the floor, sharing dango room service had dropped off while Obito had been asleep. As a peace offering, Kakashi offered Obito two shares of dango. Still irritated about being knocked out by his friend, Obito stuffed a piece of dango into his mouth and tried to keep the unhappy scowl on his face, but the dango brightened his day. Tenzo teased him, surprisingly, saying he looked too happy. When Obito looked at an unusually quiet Kakashi, he found the man staring at him with an odd expression.

"What's wrong?" Obito felt around on his face, thinking he had food there, but he didn't. He inspected his clothes, but he still didn't have any food on himself. "You're really freaking me out," Obito mumbled, trying not to alarm the other occupants of the room, who seemed content recounting missions to other places.

Obito felt a familiar stirring in his chest and he dropped his stick of dango. Itachi and Tenzo stopped talking to stare at him. Obito slowly turned his head to look at Kakashi and then covered his mouth with both hands. His first cough didn't produce any petals, neither did the second, third, or fourth. He coughed out thorns covered in blood. Itachi and Tenzo immediately started to panic and Kakashi froze, eyes on the blood dotting the sheets between them. One purple rose petal fell from between his lips, then he reached into his mouth and pulled out more of them, trying to get all of them out, trying and failing to clear his airway. By the time he coughed up the last petal, his lips were stained with blood. He only had the metallic taste of blood on his tongue.

"Lavender rose petals," Itachi mumbled, reaching out to pick up a petal. Itachi turned it around several times, but saw nothing peculiar.

"Is it the mokuton?" Tenzo immediately thought the same thing Kakashi thought, both of them, all of them, confused and worried. 

"Ugh," Obito groaned, relaxing against the pillow behind him. He looked down at the bloody thorns and lightly scented lavender petals. Beneath the blood, he tasted roses. "Now I'm coughing up roses," Obito muttered, voice raw from his coughing, raw from the thorns scraping his insides.

"You've coughed up other flowers?" Itachi posed the question, so Obito nodded at his cousin. "What did you cough up before?"

"Yellow something or other," Obito frowned. 

"Yellow hyacinth," Kakashi answered for him.

"Jealousy and enchantment. Lavender roses can also mean love at first sight," Itachi said, easily sharing the meaning behind the flowers. Tenzo asked if it mattered and Itachi shrugged. "It could mean something. It could mean nothing. Once is chance, twice is a coincidence, and three times is a pattern. If he coughs up another meaningful flower, I'd consider that maybe they're saying something. Kunoichi communicate with flowers," Itachi shrugged again.

"We're leaving in the morning. I don't care what the weather is doing," Kakashi informed them, voice firm. Itachi and Tenzo nodded. "Everyone get some sleep. I'm going to get you some tea," Kakashi said, the last words spoken to Obito.

"I'm fine. I'm just really tired," Obito insisted, his words spoken to a closing door. Obito wrinkled his nose.

"We're all worried about you," Tenzo defended Kakashi, which wasn't surprising at all. Itachi nodded, though he didn't need to. Obito still tasted blood and roses, so he didn't reply.


	3. Pink Camellia & Gardenia

After their failed mission to the Land of Snow, Kakashi, with help from Itachi and Tenzo, forced Obito into the hospital again. He lay in his hospital bed, stubbornly leaving his back to Kakashi. Unlike the last time, when he'd been admitted to the general portion of the hospital, the doctor admitted him to the more private ANBU section of the hospital. No one wanted to share anything with him though, so he spent three days in the hospital, while the staff ran the same tests over and over again. The lavender roses were genuine roses, and the thorns had been thorns. The doctor healed what damage she could, but his lungs sounded full, so they ran scans. He still didn't know the results of the scan. Obito heard the chair squeak as Kakashi leaned back against the back of the chair. He'd brought Icha Icha and seemed content to pass his time reading, as if Obito's cold shoulder didn't bother him at all. 

"You could at least try to talk to me."

"Are you going to turn over and stop pouting?"

"Did you really have to report this to the Hokage? I was fine. Now I'm stuck on bedrest for two weeks!"

"You coughed up blood, Obito. As your friend, it's my responsibility to make sure you're entirely miserable for the foreseeable future."

Obito looked over his shoulder to find Kakashi's face still buried in the book. After a few minutes, Obito turned onto his right side to see Kakashi. He was definitely miserable, so Kakashi had succeeded. Obito knew he'd scared everyone, even if he hadn't meant to, so he really couldn't blame the three for dragging him to the hospital, but he could act grumpy about it for as long as he wanted. That was his right. He stared at Kakashi until the man finally looked up from the book. Eyes raised from the pages, Kakashi asked him a silent question. Before Obito could say anything, the doctor poked her head into the room. She had a file filled with papers, which meant the rest of the results were in, and she actually meant to share them with him. He sat up, positioning his pillows to support him, and waited for her to flip through the pages. 

"There are vines growing in your lungs and around your lungs and heart. They're small still, and I'm sure we can remove them safely. The problem is that they'll return again and again. We call it Hanahaki disease. You're going to continue coughing up petals until you find the one responsible for the one-sided love. There have been seven cases of the disease, all of them traced to the Senju clan."

"So it's the Hashirama cells," Kakashi said, handling the news a lot better than Obito. Obito kept staring at the doctor, mouth ajar. "What happens if he doesn't find the one responsible?"

"Four of the seven cases resulted in death. It's essentially asphyxiation."

"What? So I'm going to choke to death on flowers? How the hell am I supposed to find the one who loves me? It could be anyone!" Obito was furious, while Kakashi had slipped into silence. The doctor shrank away from the shouting. "I want the surgery. Just get it out."

"We can schedule you in for tomorrow morning. You can leave tomorrow night," the doctor said, adjusting her wireframe glasses. Obito waited for her to leave before he let out a growl. 

"What am I supposed to do? Maybe they can remove the cells," Obito thought aloud. He didn't think it was possible, since he'd lived with them for years, since they'd saved his ass time and time again. "Say something," Obito pleaded, seeing the thousand-yard stare on Kakashi's face. 

"What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know. I don't want to tell anyone right now. I don't want to worry anyone else. Let's keep this between us."

"I think that's a bad idea, but we're relatively private people."

"You," Obito began, pausing to lick his lips, "you don't have to go through this with me. I won't be mad. We aren't kids anymore." Obito hoped he would disagree and promise to stand with him, as they'd promised all those years ago. "Don't just stare at me," Obito hurriedly spoke.

"I'm not going to abandon you when you need me. You aren't an inconvenience."

"Kakashi, I'm probably going to die."

"I won't let that happen."

Obito wanted to argue with him, but he pressed his lips together and nodded. The next day, before Obito went into surgery, dozens of stuffed animals arrived, all of them bearing _get well soon_ cards. The surgery took longer than expected, since vines had taken deeper root in his lungs. When he woke up, hours later, he found Tenzo at his bedside. Obito immediately thought Kakashi had betrayed his trust, but Tenzo proved him wrong. 

"You're awake," Tenzo greeted him. Tenzo helped him sit up and fluffed his pillows, then returned to the chair. "Senpai is sorry he can't be here. He's on a mission right now."

Obito nodded, not trusting himself to speak. His throat felt dry and scratchy, and he didn't notice any difference in his lungs, even though the doctor swore they would remove everything they could. Tenzo stayed for several hours, where the man tried every conversation starter imaginable. Obito wanted Tenzo to stay longer, but he only had another hour left in the hospital, so he told Tenzo to go. He was so damn happy when his doctor released him. He practically danced down the damn hallway, insisting that everyone see the pep in his step. He made it to the lobby before everything went wrong. The full feeling in his chest returned, though not as bad as it had been. He started coughing, his eyes automatically watering, as he fought to breathe. The receptionist panicked and hurried toward him, but he fell to his hands and knees and started coughing up pink petals, so many pink petals, until he coughed up a whole flower, signaling the end of the episode.

"Pink camellia," the woman noted, reaching out to take the whole blossom. He looked up at her, his eyes and nose running. He croaked out a question, begging her to tell him what it meant. "It means 'longing for you,' and I'm going to call the doctor."

Obito forced himself up on shaky legs and disappeared in a flash. He heard her shout at him to stop, but he didn't listen. He chose to keep running, even though his breaths became harder and harder. On the way back to his apartment, he stopped three times to cough up more pink petals. Someone was longing for him, and all he could think about was how the person was slowly killing him. Outside of his apartment, he stopped at the door and rested his forehead against the wood. He stayed there for several minutes, until he fumbled blindly for the doorknob. He entered the apartment and went straight for the couch, where he threw himself onto the cushions. Bare feet hanging over the arm of the couch, he threw an arm over his eyes and sighed. Like hell he was going to stay another night in the hospital. He hadn't had a shower in days, so he eventually forced himself up, thinking the hot water might do him good.

Obito hummed in the shower, a nervous habit he'd picked up after he first made jonin. It was a coping mechanism, or so Kakashi said. The man didn't complain. Obito liked to think he had a fantastic voice, but he was biased. He washed his hair, taking his time running his fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp. All he smelled was spice and it made him smile. He'd stolen Kakashi's shampoo and that made him cackle to himself. Halfway through rinsing his hair, he slapped a palm against the inside of the shower and cleared his throat several times. His eyes began to water and every breath was a struggle. White petals mixed with pink, longing somehow transforming into something new, a secret love hidden in gardenia petals and deep-green, waxy leaves. He clenched his eyes shut, but nothing he did stopped the coughing. The drain, clogged with flowers, caused the water to back up. 

He slid down to the shower floor and brought his knees toward his chest, lost amongst the flowers. When the coughing fit stopped, he reached up to turn the shower off, then worked to collect the flowers, whole flowers and petals and leaves. He got dressed in sweats and t-shirt and sat down on the edge of his bed, eyes on the hardwood floor. The odds weren't in his favor. Hours later, he heard someone knocking on the door, but he ignored it, pretending that he was asleep. 

"Eternal rival!"

"Oh God no," Obito whispered, dragging his blankets up to cover his head. Gai continued knocking on the door until Obito had finally had enough and stomped his way to the door. "Look, Gai, he's not here and I really just want to -- is that takeout?"

"Ah! Obito. Just the man I wanted to see!" Gai thrust the paper bag of takeout at him and waited for a moment before he had the sense to let Gai into the apartment. The floor had stray petals everywhere and Gai's smile melted away. "I admit I'm here to make sure you are alright."

"Ugh, he told you about the flowers. What the hell, Kakashi? Look, I'm fine, really. See?" Obito took a deep breath and he sounded as if he had asthma. Gai slapped him on the back and he coughed several times. "Please don't do that again."

"I won't! Let's eat!" Gai took the bag back and went to sit it on the bar, where he began taking out containers and bowls. Obito hadn't eaten, so he watched as Gai produced more and more food. "I chose curry!"

"Ah, that's not surprising. Did you remember the pepper?"

"Of course. We both like our curry especially spicy."

As they ate, Obito kept his eyes on his plate of curry. Gai shared stories of his most recent mission, and how he'd finally applied for a promotion to ANBU, but he'd been denied, which Obito found unfair. When their food was gone, Obito looked over at Gai and patted his shoulder.

"Thank you."

"What are friends for?"


	4. Morning Glories, Tulips, and Mums

Sick leave left Obito with too much time on his hands, so his teammates and the members of Team Ro insisted on visiting him whenever they had free time. Some of them knew the truth, and some of them didn't, but they all knew not to broach the subject of his sick leave. His flowers remained pink camellia and gardenia for several days, until Kakashi finally returned. Obito had been having a decent day, but Kakashi slipped into the apartment and made his way over to the couch, where he sat down, removed his hitai-ate, and covered his face with his hands. Obito had cleaned up all of the petals, so the man's reaction had something to do with the week-long mission to fuck knew where, since the details were classified. Obito sat up, since he'd simply moved his legs for Kakashi, then he decided he needed to say _something_ but didn't know where to begin, not when Kakashi shut down.

"I'll get some tea," Obito decided, thinking that the right tea would cheer his friend up, or at least warm Kakashi's stomach.

Obito boiled water and steeped the tea. He'd selected lavender tea to help ease fatigue and anxiety. He'd been the type to collect teas, at the suggestion of his doctor. He took two empty cups and the teapot into the living room and placed the pot and cups on the coffee table. He poured two cups, adding some honey to his own cup. He presented Kakashi with a cup and Kakashi sighed and took the cup. Obito kept his focus on the television rather than Kakashi so the man could have privacy.

"So do you want to talk about the unclassified portions of your mission?"

"Well it was a nightmare. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong."

Obito had seen the blood on Kakashi's clothing, showing the man hadn't spent enough time in the locker room to change clothes. Obito frowned to himself because he knew what that was like, and both of them had fallen to the lowest of lows after a bad mission. Obito didn't need to ask if it was an assassination mission when he knew it was Kakashi's specialty. They sipped tea until Obito felt the familiar stirring in his chest. He swallowed and swallowed hoping to lose the flowers in his gut, but he eventually dropped his teacup and doubled over, struggling to keep his coughing down. Kakashi sat his own teacup down and patted Obito's back over and over again until he began rubbing soothing circles.

Obito coughed up flowers and pieces of vines, the vines having flowers on them too. In a moment of clarity, he recognized the flowers as morning glories, their beautiful pink petals choking him as much as the vines attached to them. Obito began pulling out the small vines, gagging the entire time. 

"I'm taking you to the hospital," Kakashi announced, dragging Obito to his feet. Obito gripped Kakashi's arms and planted his feet on the floor. When he quieted, when the coughing stopped, Kakashi hugged him.

"I'm not going back to the damn hospital," he said, his voice raw, throat still tickling. "They can't do anything."

"There has to be a clue, someone, anyone, that might love you. Is it Ikki?" Kakashi sounded desperate for answers, but Obito didn't know what to say. He knew it wasn't Ikki, so he shook his head.

"He hasn't shown up once. He was just a one-night stand," Obito said, dropping down onto the couch again. Kakashi took a seat next to him. "They mean unrequited love. Isn't that stupid? Just confess to me already. How hard is it?"

"Maybe the person doesn't know how," Kakashi suggested, shrugging at Obito's arched brow. "It seems like this person is sitting on a pretty big secret."

"I don't know how much longer I can go through this, Kakashi. I'm tired," Obito mumbled, sighing at the broken teacup and spilled tea.

"I got it," Kakashi said, already getting to his feet. He took care not to step in the tea or on the four broken pieces of the cup. Obito brought his legs up onto the couch, sitting crisscross. "Have you been doing this the entire time I was gone?"

"Morning glories are new. It was gardenia for secret love and pink camellia again for longing. I haven't had peace and quiet for a solid day since the beginning of this. I like that people care, but I'm not doing well with all of the attention."

"When you're Hokage, you're going to be stuck in the spotlight."

"I'll just have to have a hot advisor to take the attention off of me."

"Shikaku is pretty hot," Kakashi joked, causing Obito to laugh. Kakashi smiled at the sound, then began cleaning up the mess. First picking up the broken pieces, then wiping up the tea. In the end, he presented Obito will a new cup. "Try not to break this one, hm?"

"You're the best friend I've ever had," Obito finally said, shifting around to show he was awkward about saying it. Kakashi froze, then cleared his throat. "I know I'm your best friend too. I won't tell Gai."

"He does like competitions," Kakashi joked again, surprising Obito. Obito burst into laughter that quickly turned to a few quiet coughs, a stray morning glory falling into his hands. "Alright. No more jokes."

"Kakashi, there's something I need to tell you," Obito began, both hands clutching the teacup as if the cup grounded him. He looked up at the ceiling, then closed his eye and frowned. "I'm not sure how to say this, but," Obito continued, words cut off by a hawk pecking at the glass of their front window. "Go ahead. It's nothing."

"Just give me a minute," Kakashi requested, going to collect the scroll attached to the hawk. The bird flew away the moment Kakashi took the scroll. "Mission check. I forgot it," Kakashi explained, setting the scroll and the envelope it contained on the coffee table. "You wanted to say something?"

"You, uh, you're really talented and I'm proud of you?"

"Well, thanks?"

"No problem."

He'd wanted to confess. Faced with his own mortality, he thought it best to clear the air, but he'd failed, and he felt so damn stupid, both for backing down and for his pathetic attempt at covering his confession. Because of his words, Kakashi immediately shut down, and he didn't know what to say to end the awkward silence, since all he wanted to do was kiss Kakashi. Obito didn't think grabbing Kakashi, yanking down his mask, and kissing him passionately would do anything to help their situation, but he wanted to do it anyway, their friendship be damned. They finished off the tea, then Obito nudged Kakashi in the direction of the shower. Kakashi didn't need any encouragement, as the man mumbled about the blood. As soon as the bathroom door closed, Obito slapped a hand to his forehead and hissed about his own stupidity.

Kakashi exited the bathroom twenty minutes later, a towel wrapped around himself, easily slipping into his bedroom without showing his exposed face. Obito got a good look at Kakashi's toned back and the curve of Kakashi's backside and suddenly he was blushing and coughing. The morning glories greeted him again. When Kakashi returned to the front room, dressed in his own sweats, complete with tiny dogs on them, and a plain grey shirt, he settled on the couch with Icha Icha and left Obito to watch television.

"Alright. Why do you keep staring at me?"

"What? I'm not staring at you."

"Not anymore. You were burning holes in my book. You know you have your own copy."

"It's not about the book! Ugh. I mean I wasn't staring!"

Kakashi carefully closed the book and turned so he could see Obito's red face. Obito, stubborn as could be, kept his eyes glued to the television, even though it was a rerun of a romantic comedy. Kakashi knocked the book against Obito's thigh. 

"If something happens," Obito quietly said, "then I guess I don't want any regrets."

"Nothing is going to happen," Kakashi interrupted him, sounding too determined. Obito gave Kakashi a blank look, then held a hand up to signal Kakashi to stop talking.

" _If_ something happens, then I don't want any regrets."

Obito took a deep breath to begin his confession, but he took one look at Kakashi's expectant face and dissolved into another coughing fit. He waved Kakashi's hands away a few times before he finally gave in. He coughed up red petals that time, so many red petals that he thought he could spread them over their apartment. He didn't care that he cried, even when Kakashi used to call him a crybaby. Red tulips. Red chrysanthemums. Love. Passion. Someone, somewhere, loved him to death, and in the literal sense. Obito slumped against the back of the couch and stretched his legs out until his feet met the floor. The petals scattered, raining down onto the floor. It was unfair. He had no choice. He had no chance.

"I like you."

"I like you too."

"No. I _like_ you. I'm attracted to you. I want to kiss you. I thought if I ever said something, I'd ruin our friendship, but there's nothing left for me, so why not?"

Obito turned so that he could see Kakashi's shocked face. He rubbed the back of his head and looked down at the red petals. For several minutes, Kakashi didn't respond. Obito wondered if Kakashi somehow misunderstood or misheard him, so he considered repeating himself. Kakashi reached over and touched his left cheek. They made eye contact and they searched their dark eyes for something unspoken. Obito opened his mouth to apologize and his chest tightened. It was over. That was it. He turned away and started coughing up his lungs, every flower he ever coughed up suddenly returning. Whole flowers, petals, vines, and thorns flew from his mouth, mixing with blood and saliva. Kakashi watched in horror as Obito swayed. When it felt like he was going to tip over and fall, Kakashi caught him.

"I was jealous. I saw you with Ikki and I got jealous. The yellow hyacinth was for me. I think it's all for me. I don't, I don't know how to do this. This isn't what I do. I just endure," Kakashi mumbled into his ear, having pulled him into a tight hug. Obito took a shuddering breath.

"Is this some kind of shitty confession. Would you just confess like you mean it?"

"I love you," Kakashi choked out. Obito inhaled sharply, but there was no weight in his chest, no struggle to fill his lungs, no trouble on the inhale or on the exhale. "Say something. Now is a good time."

"I didn't expect you to say you loved me," Obito whispered, throat still raw. He knew there was blood on his lips; he tasted the blood on his tongue, on his teeth. "Now that I'm not dying, this is kind of embarrassing."

"Yes. Yes, it is. But," Kakashi said, shrugging a shoulder, "it could be worse. I could have been too scared to say something. You could have been too scared to say something."

Obito wrapped his arms around Kakashi and the two stayed in the hug for far too long. Obito felt lips on his neck and he froze, feeling the press of Kakashi's lips against his skin. Hanahaki disease had damned him and blessed him all at once. They endured, because shinobi endured, but there was a whole world beyond simply enduring, and they took their first steps into that world. After that, there were no more flowers, no more petals, no more leaves or vines or thorns.


End file.
